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Special Report: The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Has Been Invaded!
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Diversity Related Resources On-Line With a recent subscription funded by UW System, Polk Library is now able to offer online access to a unique set of databases. The new resources are: Ethnic NewsWatch, GenderWatch, and Alt-Health Watch, available through a vendor called SoftLine. All three are full-text products, and will complement the array of databases offered by Polk Library by adding access to periodicals not otherwise available. Ethnic NewsWatch is a collection of nearly 300,000 full-text articles from over 170 publications. It offers "a comprehensive collection of the newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic, minority, and native press in America." The titles surveyed for Ethnic NewsWatch include in part: Armenian Reporter Gender Watch, including Women 'R', is comprised of periodicals that focus on women and women's issues, including academic and scholarly journals, regional publications, newspapers, and pamphlets. Among the titles included are: Camera Obscura: Feminism,
Culture, and Media Studies The third database, Alt-Health Watch, is focused on "complementary and alternative approaches to health." The full-text offerings include peer-reviewed journals, reports, proceedings, newsletters, consumer magazines, reference materials, and pamphlets. Publications found here include: AIDS, Medicine and
Miracles Each of these databases may be accessed from Polk Library's Reference web page. Each offers a variety of searching methods, and articles that cover recent issues, as well as some archival coverage back to 1980. We encourage faculty and students to make use of these distinctive resources. The Library of the Future: Myths and Reality It is certainly an understatement that academic libraries have changed dramatically in the recent past. For instance, Cynthia Huebschen, reference and collection development coordinator, recently documented the dramatic increase in the use of electronic, full-text articles by UW Oshkosh faculty and students in the past two years. The number of articles retrieved through Polk Library's most popular vendor of full-text articles (Ebsco) has increased from 65 articles in November 1996 to 2,431 articles in November 1997 to 20,712 articles in November 1998! During the middle of a semester, come into the Reference Room on a night early in the week, and you will see all of the 31 computers in use with more students waiting for an open machine. This type of change in how people access information has sparked a good deal of speculation about the future of libraries. Some of the speculation seems well founded; other speculation is at best misleading and at worst makes it harder for librarians to do their jobs of providing more and better information and knowledge to the university community. There are two ideas about libraries that are particularly open to misleading myths. Libraries will be "without walls." In one sense this is increasingly true. Faculty and students can access many of our electronic resources from their offices, dorms, student labs, and homes. Yet, this does not mean that the library building is or will be unimportant to library services. Libraries will continue to need space for print collections, in-house computer access, reference work, instruction, student study, circulation, reserve, and technical services. Library space may need to be renovated in areas to make convenient laptop computer use possible. In addition, a recent space study showed that the library has real space issues in regards to its ability to adequately maintain its print collections (lack of space) and deficient space (both quantity and quality) for its revitalized archives program. Information will be available free on the Web. Again this is true in part. Recent U.S. Government information is the best large example of authoritative and useful information available freely through the Web. Yet, all information that comes through the web is not free. The wide range of indexing & abstracting, full-text articles, and electronic journals that Polk Library provides the campus through the web costs a significant amount of money in subscription and licensing fees, not to mention the need for up-to-date computer workstations and network connections to access this information. There are important online services that we would like to provide the campus such as Academic Universe (Lexis/Nexis) but currently cannot because of a lack of money. Strong funding of library collection development budgets is and will be very important. For the foreseeable future, libraries will be hybrid institutions. They will provide access to both print and electronic information. The best academic libraries will find ways to integrate high quality print and electronic information for the good of students, faculty, and staff. It is true that libraries face a brave new world. Yet, it will be a world where print and electronic information will both be important, and good library services will need adequate buildings, strong funding, and knowledgeable staff. New On-Line Subscriptions Polk Library now has online access to recent issues of two journals for which we also have print subscriptions. One is Science, a weekly periodical. You will find a link to this journal from Polk Library's Reference web page, or go directly to: http://www.scienceonline.org/. From this site, you will have access to Science, as well as some related links. In addition to the magazine itself, we have a subscription to "Science's Next Wave: Career Development in Science," available at the same site. "Next Wave" contains mostly information and forums relating to careers in the sciences. Articles from Science and "Next Wave" may be printed in PDF format. Instructions are available online. Our other new online subscription is to Journal of Nutrition, which may be found at: http://www.nutrition.org. The online edition (available anywhere on campus) offers full-text articles from 1997 to the present, searchable by author, keyword, phrase, or citation. Both journals are still available in print form at Polk Library. New Library System Update Across Wisconsin, UW System libraries are busy making plans for a new library system, Voyager by Endeavor. UW Stevens Point, Colleges, Stout, Madison and Milwaukee have already received the hardware and a test database. They expect to be operational this summer. In the next group are UW Eau Claire, La Crosse, Platteville, Parkside and River Falls. UW Oshkosh, Whitewater, Green Bay and Superior will be the third and last group to implement the new system. Installation will begin during the summer and should be fully operational by the first of December. The new system will provide a seamless interface between our library's online catalog, other UW online catalogs and the many Web resources available to researchers. Library committees have begun making plans for a successful implementation of the new system. Scholarship Week at Polk Library Some like it Hot, Some like it Old. This is the observation made by the Polk Library during the 1999 Celebration of Scholarship Week. The library is hosting two unique events to demonstrate how learning has changed at this institution through history. "Hot" is the hot new technology featured in the new Hands-on Instruction Lab. There will be several demonstrations of this technology on April 23, from 10:00 am to Noon. In addition to the lab, we will provide a preview of the coming, new library information system, Voyager. While working with new, hot technology, the library remains reverent of the past, the "Old". What did a nineteenth century "blue book" look like? How did a student of history review for a test in 1882? What were George Albee's lectures like? Or Frederick Clow's ideas for a curriculum for the 20th century? As part of the 1999 Celebration of Scholarship week, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Archives will construct an exhibit of historical documents dating from various periods of this university's history. The exhibit will be on display in the first floor lobby of Polk Library during Scholarship Week and will be set up temporarily near the Hands-on Instruction Lab during the demonstrations of that room on April 23, from 10:00 am to Noon. Library Display Cases Would you like to let the campus community know more about your department, upcoming event, or special program? Polk Library has four display cases located in the main lobby that can help you get out your message. These cases are in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit almost any display. Also, if you like, Circulation staff can help you complete your display with books and other materials on related topics. Ask for the "Reserving a Display Case" form at the Circulation Desk. Polk Library rules & guidelines for use of the cases are given on the form. Be sure to reserve the display cases well in advance to insure availability. Request Your Library Instruction Sessions On-Line Getting your class into Polk Library for instruction has gotten a little easier. Library Instruction requests can now be done online from your office or home computer. No more running over to the library to fill out the request form or playing phone tag with the Library Instruction Coordinator. Using the Library Instruction Request Form is simple. Just fill out and send the form located on the Library Instruction web page: http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/llr/instruct/. The form asks for the basic information required to schedule your class: including your name, phone number, course number, class size and two dates the session can be scheduled. There is also space to list any library resources you wish included and to give a short description of your students' assignment. Confirmation of the date and time of your instruction will be sent via email. Library Instruction requests should be made at least a week in advance. Classes are met by librarians in the lobby of Polk Library. If you would like more information about Library Instruction, please contact Marisa Finkey at 424-3436 or finkey@uwosh.edu. North American Industrial Classification System The Polk Library Government Documents division has recently received the first official copies of the NAICS (North American Industrial Classification System). The NAICS Officially replaced the SIC (Standard Industrial Classification System) on January 1, 1997. The new system will facilitate trade between the members of NAFTA--the United States, Mexico and Canada. The old SIC code was used only by US businesses. What do the Industrial classification systems do? Basically, they classify and categorize all economic activity allowing for the government and industry sectors to keep statistics and follow the growth or decline under a particular classification code. Each business activity is assigned a unique number or code. Most businesses are assigned at least one code. However, many are assigned more than one, and a distinction is made between their primary codes and secondary codes. The 1997 Economic Census, which is now being released, uses the new NAICS. Reference librarians have a great deal of familiarity with the old, SIC codes as many business reference works done by private publishers use SIC classification for directories and statistical works. Publishers will have some difficulty in making the transition to the new system as it renders much of the previous information gathered obsolete for comparative purposes, unless they can somehow convert the old information gathered under the SIC codes to the new system. It will be interesting to see how publishers of business information make the transition to NAICS. The University Archives and Area Research Center As its name implies, this program has two facets. The University Archives collects, preserves and makes available to researchers the historical records of this university. The Area Research Center (ARC) is a branch of the State Historical Society, Archives Divisions, and it provides students and visitors to UW Oshkosh, historical collections germane to a geographical area that includes Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette and Winnebago counties. While the collections of the ARC are owned and processed by the State Historical Society, Polk Library owns the University Archives collections. The collecting, access (both physical and intellectual) and long-term preservation of the materials have been the library's, and now my, responsibility. Over the years, important historic documents of the university have been placed into the secure storage of the archives. Although this material has been saved, it requires much work so that it is useable to researchers. It is one of my main priorities to process the substantial backlog of university historic records. While this processing will allow me to weed out some poor material, I will also be bringing in more historically significant material that is being held in offices and storage areas throughout the university. This collecting will be done under the direction of a collecting policy document to be completed this semester. Having a well-collected, processed and organized archival collection of university records is essential for any institution with a history as long and rich as this one. Historically, the main user base for the archives has been genealogists from the larger community. I want to expand this clientele to include more university users: students, administrators, and faculty. This will be accomplished through contacts with faculty and bibliographic instruction. These contacts will emphasize the ARC networks unique transfer system that allows for the temporary lending of archival material throughout the state. At the same time, I will also build on our initial user base by articulating to local history and genealogy groups the types of records available to them at the UW Oshkosh ARC. The University Archives and Area Research Center is changing dramatically. Its program is growing and becoming more active. This will demand that attention be paid to proper security and adequate space for these unique collections. A healthy archives program will benefit UW Oshkosh. It protects and provides access to the historical treasures of this university and the surrounding community. The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh has been invaded! 400 soldiers are living on campus, marching down Algoma Blvd. and entertaining dreams of busting the Axis supply lines. Visit the on-line exhibit "The 400 of the 96th: World War II comes to Oshkosh" to learn all about the Army Air Corps unit stationed at the Oshkosh State Teacher's College in 1943-1944. The exhibit is part of the Archives and Area Research Center's new web page located at: http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/llr/arc/. The web page contains
information on the variety of collections kept at the Archives and
Area Research Center.
Polk Library News
is a publication of the Forrest
R. Polk Library, University
of Wisconsin Oshkosh. |